Liberals just born that way, scientists say

Researchers at the University of California-San Diego say Michael Ignatieff and other liberals may, in fact, have been liberals at birth, that their liberalism was baked into their DNA. (Chris Roussakis/ QMI Agency)

OTTAWA - Was Michael Ignatieff born a Liberal or did he learn how to be one?

Researchers at the University of California-San Diego say Ignatieff and other liberals may, in fact, have been liberals at birth, that their liberalism was baked into their DNA.

In the first study of its kind, a four-person team led by geneticist James Fowler argues the presence of a specific kind of gene - a dopamine receptor known as DRD4-7R - combined with a social environment where an individual is exposed to multiple points of view, particularly during adolescence, "is significantly associated with liberal political ideology."

The study was published Wednesday in The Journal of Politics, a peer-reviewed quarterly published for the U.S.-based Southern Political Science Association.

The researchers chose the gene DRD4-74 because it's a gene that predisposes people toward "novelty seeking behaviour." Earlier research had associated "novelty seeking behaviour" with traits related to political liberalism.

"These findings suggest that political affiliation is not based solely on the kind of social environment people experience," Fowler said. "This is the first study to elaborate a specific gene-environment interaction that contributes to ideological self-identification, and it highlights the importance of incorporating both nature and nurture into the study of political preferences."